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Historic Middlesex County Jail, Haddam CT
The Middlesex County Jail in Haddam, Connecticut, is a historic stone prison that dates back to 1845. It served as the county’s principal jail for over a century, housing inmates who had more freedoms than those in other institutions—they even grew vegetables and played baseball near the river. Haddam and Middletown were designated as half-shire towns when Middlesex County was formed in 1785, meaning each town had to maintain a courthouse and jail. Despite ongoing debates about consolidating the county’s judicial facilities, Haddam managed to retain its courthouse and jail, which contributed to the town’s economic growth. The jail officially closed in 1969, but efforts have been made to convert…
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Beautiful barn with (3) silos, Haddam CT
This folks is the reason I chase barns and capture their imges to retain throughout history, even long after some of them are gone. They are simply beautiful. Here’s what sets this barn apart for me. It sloping roof. It’s cluster of three silos. Two are fairly common but three not so much and of varying heights and widths. I know I probably need therapy but silo’s do it for me. I think my barn pictures always have more character and story telling potential when a silo is involved. Lastly that old gnarly tree winding up the front left of the barn. Sweeeeeeet! In my research I couldn’t ascertain who…
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Old Stone Schoolhouse, Farmington CT
The Old Stone Schoolhouse in Farmington, Connecticut, has quite a history. It was built around 1790 to serve students in Farmington and Unionville CT. It originally served the West District as a schoolhouse. The brownstone used for its construction was sourced from a local quarry and transported by ox-drawn wagons. The schoolhouse operated until 1872, when enrollment exceeded 40 students, leading to the construction of a new frame schoolhouse nearby. After its time as a school, the building had several uses—it was briefly owned by Simon Manus, a former slave and Civil War veteran, before being repurposed as a religious and social center. Over the years, it was known as…
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Old Cow Farm, Bethlehem
I was on my way to photograph another barn in Bethlehem when I spotted this farm scene off in a distance. It doesn’t appear that the buildings are actively being used but the presence of a tractor implies to me that the grounds are still being upkept. Photographed with a Sony A7RV, l24-70 f2.8 GMII lens at 55mm 1/100th, f16, ISO 100, Manual Mode
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Plumtrees School, Bethel CT
Chery, myself and Molloy (our dog) pulled into the driveway of the Plumtrees School and I was able to capture this photograph. The Plumtrees School in Bethel, Connecticut, is a historic one-room schoolhouse built in 1867 on land donated by Eliza Benedict. It originally served the Plumtrees District, one of Bethel’s five school districts at the time. Over the years, the school underwent several changes: – In 1881, a cupola and bell were added to the building. – In 1957, it was closed for renovations, during which electricity and indoor plumbing were installed for the first time. – It reopened in 1962 as a kindergarten but was permanently closed in…
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District School # 3, Glastonbury CT
This post is part of a continuing series called “one room schoolhouses”. To view other one room schoolhouses in CT and RI access the search menu in the top right corner of the homepage and enter “schoolhouse”. While in Glastonbury I photographed the Distinct School No. 3, built in 1820. It was known as the Green School because it served students from the Hubbard Green area. It first opened to students in 1820 and in 1934, it was converted into a private residence, making it one of the schoolhouses that now serves as a home. 1 1 Information above derived from Microsoft Copilot Photographed with a Sony A7RV, 61mp, mirrorless…
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Multiple Barns, East Windsor CT
You don’t have to go far to find an old barn to photograph when travelling through East Windsor CT. It’s a barn photographers paradise. While many of these barns catered to the once flourishing tobacco industry in town there are plenty of other utilitarian barns. These four images are a mixture of both. Last count The Historic Barns of CT website has (184) barns featured in the town of East Windsor alone. I’ve used this website for many years to find most of these gems. If you’re into this sort of thing take a gander over to https://connecticutbarns.org/find/found?limit=12&category=838&require_all=category If you do decide to track these barns down and take some photo’s…
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Abandoned aging old steel barn, Terryville CT
The three of us were out barn hunting and saw this beautiful old abandoned steel building in Terryville CT. It sat about 100 yards, in an open heavily overgrown field, behind what was once a major steel fabrication shop. So although I don’t know for sure it just seems like it could have been a maintenance shop for that facility. Although shot in color I rendered it in black in white to give it a sort of nostalgic look as it sits long abandoned and isolated. Photographed with a Sony A7RV, 61mp mirrorless camera and a Sony 24-70 f2.8 GMII lens. To get extra reach I switched to JPEG resolution…
